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Pac Rim Team

Registration Support

Leslie Dorman, is a Grants Coordinator for the Center on Disability Studies where she oversees the complex private and Federal grant processes for the Center. She has worked at CDS for three years, and holds a BS Degree in Computer Science. Leslie is a force of nature when it comes to detail so watch out for her on-site when she orchestrates a seamless registration process for all attendees.

Hospitality and Accessibility Coordinator

Come experience the true Aloha Spirit with Juana Tabali-Weir at the Pac Rim Hospitality and Information booth! With over 6+ years as the Hospitality Coordinator, Juana’s experience originates from her longstanding career with CDS aimed at accommodating and serving persons with and without disabilities. Some of the conferences she helped organize, and training she has done were undertaken in Hawaii (UH-M Workshops), the South Pacific (Festival of Arts), and the continental US (LEAD Conference).

Need an accommodations request? Program booklet? Or just feeling lost? Juana’s enthusiastic attitude and welcoming smile will make your experience at Pac Rim a truly memorable one.

Website Development and Support

Trip Rems is a Senior Web Developer for the Center on Disability Studies Media Center. He has over ten years of experience designing and building accessible websites for federally-funded grant projects at CDS. He has also delivered training sessions for CDS staff on accessibility and technology including: Tips for Publishing Accessible Content using WordPress CMS (2015), Tools for Successful Communication (2015), and Guide to ITS hosted Services (2014).

Programming and Support

Laura Blum is a curator, journalist and producer based in Manhattan. Laura has curated numerous film series, including a critically acclaimed Czech film retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. She covers movies and art for the Grumbacher arts site thalo.com and writes a film blog at FilmFestivals.com. Her independent production credits include The Cry and Becoming Barack, and in her former position as head of film and TV development at Sony BMG Music Entertainment, she collaborated on music-themed documentaries from John Denver Remembered to P!nk in Europe. Laura co-edited the global bestseller Mating in Captivity, collaborated on the national bestseller The Thanksgiving Celebration and contributed to More Than a Movie: Ethics in Entertainment. She regularly speaks about film for universities, cinema clubs and festivals, including Wesleyan University, Talk Cinema and the Furman Film Series.

Poster Coordinator

Martha Guinan, MPH is an educator and researcher. In addition to special education her interests lay in teaming, leadership, educational technology, literacy and cultural diversity. She has worked for many years with parents, schools and support groups across the Pacific to engage them in the education of children with special needs. She currently serves as Chair of The Special Education Advisory Council of Hawaii.

Conference Program Support

Kawika Machida, is a conference program support for the Center on Disability Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Having 7+ years experience working in management, youth development and graphic design, he uses these skills to assist the conference in marketing, program planning and more!